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Pop-up windows are the small windows or ads that appear suddenly over or under the window you are currently viewing. Fraudulent pop-up windows are a type of online fraud often used to obtain personal information. Online fraud occurs when someone poses as a legitimate company — like a popular shopping site, your bank, or your internet service provider — to obtain sensitive personal data and illegally conducts transactions on your existing accounts. Often called “phishing” or “spoofing,” the most current types of online fraud include fake pop-up windows, emails and Web sites, or any combination of these.
Always keep in mind that Wainwright Bank will never send email containing attachments, or require customers to send personal information via email or pop-up windows. Any unsolicited requests for Wainwright Bank account information you receive through pop-up windows, emails, or Web sites should be considered fraudulent and reported immediately.
Pop-up windows
When encountering a pop-up window, be aware of the following:
- Wainwright Bank does not use pop-up windows to request customer account information.
- We will never display a pop-up window on our site that you haven’t requested by clicking on a link – all of our pop-up windows are user-initiated.
- Pop-up windows are often the result of programs installed on your computer called “adware” or “spyware.” These programs look in on your Web viewing activity and regularly come hidden inside many free downloads, such as music-sharing software or screen savers. Many of these programs enable harmless advertisements, but some contain “Trojan horse” programs that can record your keystrokes or relay other information to an unauthorized source.
How can I help protect myself?
With the proper precautions you can help protect your Wainwright Bank accounts and personal information from harmful pop-up windows:
- Activate a pop-up window blocker. There are free programs available online that will block pop-up windows. Perform an Internet search for “pop-up blocker” or look at the options provided by major search engines. You should confirm that these programs are from legitimate companies before downloading. Once you have installed a pop-up blocker, you should determine if it blocks information that you need to view or access. If this is the case, you should consider turning off the blocker when you are on Web sites you know use pop-windows to provide information you need or want to view.
- Scan your computer for spyware regularly. You can eliminate potentially risky pop-up windows by removing any spyware or adware installed on your computer. Spyware and adware are programs that look in on your Web viewing activity and potentially relay information to a disreputable source. Perform an Internet search for “spyware” or “adware” to find free spyware removal programs. As with a pop-up blocker, you will want to be sure that your removal program is not blocking, or removing, wanted items, and if it is, consider turning it off for some web sites.
- Avoid downloading programs from unknown sources. Downloads may contain hidden programs that can compromise your computer’s security. Likewise, email attachments from unknown senders may contain harmful viruses.
- Keep your computer operating system and Web browser current.
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